The Mahali Project

The Mahali Project is our first prototype structure that uses the EARTH BAG BUILDING TECHNIQUE. Our goal was to create a design build project that improved on the traditional techniques of mud building yet resembled a conventional building design.

The project is located in the Eastern Region of Ghana, near the township of Akosombo, at a beautiful mountain view site on the banks of the Volta River, just a short canoe ride away from Ghana's Hydroelectric Dam.

The building created is a modest Two Room Studio Home, which is approximately 1000 sq. ft. The design incorporates an open plan Main Space (for the living, dining, and kitchen areas), with a main Bedroom, an additional multi-purpose room that is intended to act as a second bedroom or workshop space. The building also has a rectilinear layout to optimize space in each individual area.

Overall, a practical palette of raw materials and building products were selected to create an example of a home that incorporates standard, typically available building components, in unique and creative ways. Locally-reclaimed materials were sourced and used as often as possible, with the foundation stones being manually harvested from a nearby mountain and the adobe soil for the Earth Bag wall systems conveyed from a neighbouring village.